Scottish Whisky

Cladach means 'coastline' and this whisky is a blend of Diageo's coastal distilleries; Inchgower, Clynelish, Talisker, Oban, Caol Ila and Lagavulin. As you would expect from so many distilleries, there is a superb variety of casks in the final mix first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks, refill American oak hogsheads, refill European oak butts and ex-bodega European oak butts. 

The nose is driven by gentle savoury smoke, seaweed and petrichor before citrus, vanilla and caramel all appear and lead you to a palate that is much smokier and offers darker fruits and licorice. A delightful coastal number offered at a robust abv.

The 18-year-old is limited to 1,500 bottles in the first release, and presents a nose of toffee, marshmallow and spices. It is comparatively sweet, with stewed fruit. On the palate it offers something of a contrast to olfactory expectations, being nutty, dry and initially quite hot, with a touch of pepper. Caramelised fruits segue into a long finish of baked banana. source www.whisky-pages.com

The 2018 entry in Laphroaig's yearly limited edition series is one of the distillery's oldest releases yet ? a 28-year-old whisky. It's a carefully selected mixture of casks, bringing together quarter casks, ex-bourbon barrels and oloroso sherry butts. It's picked up a reputation as being the best yet in the series, combining the distillery's medicinal smoke character with the fruitiness that many of its older bottles show.

44.4% ABV l 700mL

A smoky, tropical whisky from Smokehead, matured in ex-rum casks, that offers notes of medicinal peat, sweet caramel, burnt pineapple and caramelised bananas.

Sanaig, named after an inlet on Islay’s rugged Atlantic cost, is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in both sherry and bourbon barrels. This sherry cask scotch whisky is matured in a high proportion of oloroso barrels, imparting a balance of dried fruits, dark chocolate and rich peat smoke into the spirit.

The peated whisky made at the Tobermory distillery is called Ledaig (pronounced le-chig) and this new whisky comes from the 'smoky' selection of the discovery series by Gordon & MacPhail. On first sniff, there is a rich plume of peat smoke, becoming tinged with a rubbery (burnt tires) notes and cured smoky meat. To taste there is a weighty, oily sweetness, with vanilla and stewed fruits coming through, followed by lime and a kick of peat smoke again, and chocolate in the finish.

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 4 opens with enticing aromas of toasted coconut, driven by the ex-bourbon casks, along with crushed lemons and cedarwood; there?s a delightful hint of Turkish Delight in the aromatic peat smoke too, thanks to the influence of the ex-port casks. Intriguing flavours of zesty pink grapefruit and fragrant rose water emerge on the palate, expertly balanced by earthier suggestions of toasted oak and heather-rich peat, while the long finish reveals exotic sun-baked spices and a ribbon of liquorice running through the final breath of floral peat smoke.

Matured in ex-sherry hogsheads, ex-sherry butts and ex-bourbon barrels from across the Arran portfolio between 1997 and 2017. Special selected and blended by Distillery Manager, Stewart Bowman, bearing his seal of approval.

Distillery Notes:

Nose: Toffee apples, vanilla, cinnamon spice, really clean and prominent orange blossom notes, star anise.

Palate: Silky smooth and balanced, light liquorice, menthol herbs, honey.

Finish: Long and lingering with orange zest and fresh floral notes. Complex and rewarding.

This limited edition Arran Single Malt has been specially selected by our Distillery Manager to be bottled at 17 years old. This rare and stand-alone edition shines a different light on our precious Single Malt, aged in a mixture of first and second-fill sherry hogsheads and first-fill bourbon barrels.

We serve our whisky at 46% ABV which means it stands up well to dilution. We never add caramel or strip flavour out using chill filtration.

The whisky has been matured in ex-Sherry and Bourbon Casks and is bottled at 46% Vol without chill filtration or the addition of any colouring.

As one of the first of the new wave of distilleries to reach maturity, we are delighted to share our oldest age statement with you every year. We hope that you will continue to join us in celebrating our whisky and Lochranza Distillery as the years continue to go by, and we celebrate each year with a new release of our oldest Single Malt.

Here?s to 25 years of making great Arran Single Malt!

Arran 25yo Tasting Notes
Nose ? Rich oak with a gentle nutmeg note. Sweeter aromas of baked ripe figs, sultanas and black cherries.  

Palate ? Fruit cake with toasted almonds and cinnamon. The juicy zestiness of oranges and mandarins mellows perfectly with manuka honey, muscovado sugar, baked apricots and an interesting white pepper note that provides even more complexity.

Finish ? Creamy and spicy with dark chocolate, walnuts and dark fruits compote.

Distilled on the Isle of Skye at Talisker distillery, this release was launched as an exclusive for the travel retail market. This expression was put down to mature in ex-bourbon casks for an undisclosed length of time before being bottled at a strength of 45.8% abv.

45.8% ABV

Talisker, one of the most remote distilleries in the world, is situated on the storm lashed Isle of Skye and has a colourful history dating back to 1830. Denounced by the local clergy, praised by none other than Robert Louis Stevenson and even suffering a still-room fire in 1960, Talisker has survived and today produces some of the smoothest and characterful malts in Scotland. The 30 Year Old is sweet and mild to begin, with some acidity and saltiness. Extraordinary flavour development then envelopes the palate that becomes dry and minerally with a mild dusting of ground white pepper.

45.8% ABV

From the distillery...

The clue is in the name really. Cask Strength Release No. 2 is bottled straight from the cask, without adding water to reduce alcohol content, to deliver an extraordinary depth, complexity and balance of flavours.

Casks have a huge influence on the flavour, character and natural colour of our whisky as it matures, so our Cask Strength series presents our whisky in its purest form, giving you the freedom to enjoy our whisky, your way. Discover the taste and strength that suits your palate by experimenting with the amount of water you add to reach your optimum flavour.

For this second release in the Cask Strength series, Gordon Motion, our Master Whisky Maker, selected mainly sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, along with just a few ex-bourbon casks. You?ll find aromas of summer rose, ripe pear and fresh coconut gathering on a wave of aromatic peat smoke, followed by a wild harmony of sweet and spicy flavours - poached pear and rich almond cake, a drizzle of cloudy honey and a twist of salty liquorice. There?s the suggestion of toasted oak and intriguing notes of orchard fruits, black pepper and sweet aniseed linger, in a satisfyingly long finish. In a word (or three) we call it ?smoky peppered praline?.

Welcome to a whole new taste adventure?why not find out more by checking out the tasting video below?

We?ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney, since 1798. Age, experience and respect for tradition may define our whisky, but it?s Orkney that sets it apart. Something magic happens here and the result is the wild harmony of flavours found in our whisky.

ABV : 63.9%

Bottled straight from the cask, without adding water to reduce alcohol content, delivers the extraordinary depth, complexity and balance of flavours that?s now the established hallmark of our Cask Strength series. Release No. 3 is no exception.

This third release has been created using an expertly balanced combination of three cask types ? first-fill sherry seasoned American and European oak casks and a smaller quantity of refill casks for balance and depth. Using a higher proportion of Orkney peated malt, our Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion, has achieved an intensely smoky character, coming through first on the nose with aromas of smouldering peat and lightly charred oak, balanced by honey-glazed lemons and crushed aniseed.

Discover what best suits your palate by experimenting with the amount of water you add as you release this whisky?s distinctive notes of ripe mango, cloudy heather honey and whipped vanilla cream with a hint of aromatic violet. Pink grapefruit zest, freshly-baked sponge cake and a final gust of heathery peat smoke provide a long and distinctive finish.

64.1% ABV

A vatting of four casks from an unnamed distillery on Orkney - making it either Highland Park or Scappa - and most probably the latter.